High throughput sequencing identifies misregulated genes in the Drosophila Polypyrimidine Tract-binding protein (hephaestus) mutant defective in spermatogenesis

The Drosophila polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (dmPTB or hephaestus) plays an important role during spermatogenesis. The heph2 mutation in this gene results in a specific defect in spermatogenesis, causing aberrant spermatid individualization and male sterility. However, the array of molecular defects in the mutant remains uncharacterized. This study provides the first comprehensive list of genes misregulated in vivo in the heph2 mutant in Drosophila and offers insight into the role of dmPTB during spermatogenesis. Overall design: Two samples; Control and the heph2 mutant